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A test edicion about my new project - PIATSAW - A diary of the Resistance of the indigenous peoples of the High Amazon.
This link it’s a draft w… Read More

A test edicion about my new project - PIATSAW - A diary of the Resistance of the indigenous peoples of the High Amazon.
This link it’s a draft waiting feedbacks.
Soon more about this project in nicolaokinphotography.com
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PIATSAW

A Resistance diary of the Native Peoples of High Amazonia

A woman of the Sápara Nationality looks in the window of a plane recently landed in the Morete Community, in the Sapara territory of the Ecuadorian Amazon. This territory, distant and surrounded by thousands of hectares of primary forest, is reachable only by air. There is no road and on foot it would take almost a week of walking in muddy areas and jungle. The lack of road is a blessing for the settlers; it helps to maintain territory control and its preservation by the indigenous people, avoiding the deforestation that would be needed for the building work. The arrival of the plane to one of these Communities is a special event, besides of being the only contact with the "modern world". Morete Community, Province of Pastaza, Ecuadorian Amazon.

The house of Rosario Ware, 108 years old, is at the Wamutey zone in Tundayme, Condor mountain chain, Province of Zamora-Chinchipe, south east of Ecuador. Her house is inside the “Mirador Project” zone, executed by Chinese company Ecuacorriente S.A. Mrs Rosario was three times evicted by force in the last months by the Company's employees. The mining concession has 4738 million copper pounds.

Gloria with her son looks from her house towards the valley that extends to the West of Tsumtsuim Community. After the forced eviction in August 2016 by the Ecuadorian authorities to the Shuar settlers of Nankints, approximately 30 men mainly from Tsumtsuim resumed the territory attacking the mining camp at the end of November. A few days later, the confrontation against soldiers, they had to leave the territory. On December 14, 2016, an Emergency State is declared throughout the province of Morona-Santiago. The Tsumtsuim Community was attacked by hundreds of soldiers who arrived firing at the settlers. The 26 families that make up the community had to escape leaving their houses advanced into the jungle at nightfall. As of today 41,700 hectares of the Amazon rainforest were granted as a concession by the Ecuadorian Government, to foreign companies for large-scale mining work.

Francisco Chumbía plays with his daughter on February 4th, 2015, at Chichis, Cantón Tiwintza, in the Morona-Santiago province. He is an ex Shuar soldier who was active in service for 10 years at the Intelligence division of Ecuador, and participated in the Alto Cenepa conflict in 1995. Francisco stepped on a mine, buried by his own army too close from the position they occupied. War spreaded mines all over the Condor mountain chain, provinces of Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe; according to the Department of State of the United States of America, there were some 120 mines victims in Ecuador between 1995 and 1999.

Javier Ushigua, 20 years old, is President of the Yaku Runa Community, at the Province of Pastaza. His features show a mixture of three indigenous nationalities of the Amazon. His grandmother of the Shuar nationality married an Achuar man, and her mother with a man of the Sápara Nation. He is an almost complete summary of the community he lives in. Yaku Runa is a community of no more than 30 individuals from 4 different indigenous nationalities: Kichwa, Sápara, Shuar and Achuar. It has 300 hectares of land, from which roughly 25 stay as primary rainforest. Yaku Runa has no electricity and is located at 20 kilometres away from Puyo city. They voluntarily did not want it and the last light pole is a few meters away from the village entrance. Javier´s vision is clear and focused on the community’s welfare and the preservation of the Amazon cultures. Nowadays Sapara community has 575 individuals and they’re still in resistance against oil extraction and controlling the entrance of aliens inside their ancestral territory. Community of Yaku Runa, Province of Pastaza, Ecuadorian Amazon.

A family from the Sarayaku Community comes back by boat after a Minga. The Minga is the most solidary act of a community society, custom of the indigenous nationalities of the Amazon. It is community work where everyone participates to support each other. Instead you will be offered food and chicha. In this case, a newly formed young couple will have the material to build their thatched roof for their new home. Bobonaza River, Community of the Originary People of Sarayaku.

A load of food offered to the communal members of Tsumtsuim is on their way to the Community. The army, after having attacked them on December 2016, occupied their houses for 45 months approximately. When the communal families came back, they found their homes empty. Militaries stole pots and working tools, ended their farms products and ate all their chickens. A year worth of labour will be needed in order to catch up the productive pace of their crops and regain independence.

A boat travels through Bobonaza River in the surroundings of Sarayaku community, inside Amazon jungle. Bobonaza River is the only land access for entering the zone. The way here is complicated for many, with roughly 50 path kilometres from Puyo, where some 4x4 trucks run, and, when the river allows it, 4 hours by boat is required. Sarayaku was always opposed to a land road, in order to avoid deforestation and to keep control of the land from the arrival of unwanted intruders, oil companies and armies. Province of Pastaza, Ecuadorian Amazon.

To the left: the head of ex-President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, in what's left of a poster inside a Shuar house in the Community of Paandin, in Macuma. The Shuars are usually known for the practice of enemies' head reduction in order to protect from the spirits that remain inside them. To the right: Mukutsawa grandmother. She is the President of the community of Llanchama Cocha, in Sapara territory. All of the community's decisions pass through her approval. She is among the persons inside the community that possesses a Motorola radio to communicate in the land the Saparas keep controlled and consider theirs, for being guardians of the spirits that live in the jungle. No strangers are welcome in their territory, because of the fear they can belong to an oil company interested in the extraction and destruction of their sacred land. Community of Llanchama, Concha.

Tobacco juice Drink. It is 3 am and the Yuku Runa Community is awake for the traditional Guayusa taking to cause vomiting and thus clear the stomach of possible bugs and diseases. Today is the day that anyone who wants to inhale tobacco juice by the hand of the elder. When the juice is inhaled, it serves to increase strength, to have clearing dreams and be able to work with community to improve their own life.

Beetle larva’s for sale in the Binational Ecuador-Peru market, upon Santiago River. Soldado Monge, Ecuadorian Amazon. The war from 1941 and 1995 in Alto Cenepa, due to territorial limits between the two countries, divided Shuars into Ecuadorian and Peruvian. But the local people never accepted this borderline, which until this day, still link the commercial and living relationships with communities at the other side of the borderline.

To the left: a young indigenous heir of three amazonic ethnic groups and the identity of two worlds. Multicultural community of Yaku Runa, Ecuadorian Amazon. To the right: A man from the community of Tsumtsuim. To this day men of Tsumtsuim have capture orders proclaimed by the ex Government of Rafael Correa. If they try to step out of the Community, they are at risk of being captured.

A chonta spear head. A chonta lance, traditional weapon of the Shuars, is useful in war and hunting; it's used to kill either men or animals. Shuar Community of Buena Esperanza, Province of Morona-Santiago.

The newborn baby of Hilario and Luisa cries in his hammock at the Community of Llanchama Cocha. At his side, the objects Luisa usually carries with her when she goes away from the house: a Motorola radio and the machete.

A helicopter from the AEE Ecuatorian Army launches from the soccer field in a school in the Parish of San Juan Bosco, on November 24, 2016. For some days, the army was installed in the school as a base to attack Shuar communal people of Tsumtsuim, who decided to go back to their ancestors land after the forced eviction of August 2016. According to news made official by CONAIE, the Ecuadorian army made a repressive tactic to support mining enterprise Exsa China, which will start extraction activities by the zone of Nankints, Panantza sector, Province of Morona-Santiago.

To the left: Sucumbió. In 1964 the oil company Texaco (now Chevron) arrives in Ecuador with 1.5 million hectares concession in the Amazon jungle for extraction in the Province of Sucumbió and Orellana. Between 1972 and 1992, the company extracted 1.5 million oil barrels where it intentionally poured 19 billion of waste in the region, mainly in the rivers. According to environmental associations, this was the worst oil disaster in the world. According to the company, in the area where they worked there was no human presence, disqualifying the presence of indigenous people in the area. On the Right: Doña Rosa and her husband founded the Tsumtsuim Community 50 years ago. They also had to hide in the jungle when the military attacked.

Fighting games in Llanchama Cocha after a bath in the Conambo River.

Overflying deforested zone in the Amazon towards Sapara territory.

Guard man in the Community of Tsumtsuim, Province of Morona-Santiago.

Coangos Rive view, one of the conflict zones. During the War of the High Cenepa against Peru, (1995) the settlers near Coangos had to be evacuated towards the northern river lands of the Santiago River. The area was sown with anti-personnel mines. Coangos, Province of Morona-Santiago. Province of Morona-Santiago.

Restricted-access Amazon. The Alto Cenepa war sowed with mines the Condor mountain range. A United Nations inform of 1999 speaks of 90,000 sowed mines in the Ecuadorian side of the region, with an estimated area of 426,480 square kilometres.

Atanasio Anguasha's (55) prosthesis. He was a 15 years service Sargent during the 1995 combats. He worked at the mine-removal operation in 97 when his mine accident happened. Metal detectors at the Ecuadorian army disposal turned to be useless for the damp jungle land. So, for the mine-removal operation, whole areas were explored with machetes. Shell Pastaza Province.

Amarum, the little school's first grade teacher of the Sapara Community of Llanchama Cocha

Fallen and abandoned small plane propeller at the Kichwa community of Sarayaku.

Carlos Wilson Tendetza, a brother of José Tendetza, murdered two years ago for being advocate and activist against extraction of mining endeavour China Ecsa. In the last 8 years bodies were found of three Shuar indigenous Amazon defenders against large scale extracting activities. Their murders have remained unpunished. Community of Shuar de Yanua, Ecuadorian Amazon.

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This project also in Spark https://spark.adobe.com/page/2rWmT22gI1LIM/

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Basic Description

A test edicion about my new project - PIATSAW - A diary of the Resistance of the indigenous peoples of the High Amazon.
This link it’s a draft waiting feedbacks.
Soon more about this project in nicolaokinphotography.com